slimster.net

I was at a shower for my sister-in-law this weekend and the topic of conversation turned to my relationship, how I met my wife, etc. Everyone got a good laugh when my wife explained all of the “background checking” she did before we actually went on a date. We started talking about Googling other people and where people rank for themselves, etc. I have an actor/stuntman who ranks higher than myself and I also just noticed another person who shares my name in the top 10. Thankfully, I am not him.

But I couldn’t help but notice the charge. Apparently the man,

filed false and illegal documents to the County Clerk’s office. The taxes did not include his purchase of a brand new boat and truck. Due to this, he failed to pay a total of $2,615.95 of sales tax that was to be paid to the state of Tennessee at the time of the purchases.

So he’s gonna spend a couple of years in jail possibly. Certainly everyone should pay their taxes and tax evaders should be brought inline. But I’m curious why certain people seem exempt from the same crime. For instance, I came across this article that explains how a top contractor for the Defense department has avoided paying ‘hundreds of millions’ of dollars in taxes since 2002. Apparently, setting up an office in the Caymen islands and not paying taxes saves money for the Defense department, and that’s ok.

Meanwhile, John P, my co-top-10 Googlee, is gonna spend some time behind bars. And I’m going to be sure and pay my taxes. The offshore companies in the Caymen islands? Looks like they will continue to employ Americans, get government contracts and somehow help the Defense department by having a higher profit margin. We might as well be paying Exxon to charge us higher gas prices.